Training, day three

So today was day three of training. Today we worked our usual route to Starbucks twice in the morning,and worke inside a grocery store in the afternoon. Lenore did great work every time, and I'm getting good at reading and following her. She is so fluid in her movements, and is easy to follow because I am able to feel her movements and read where she is taking me. She did great in the grocery store and was able to follow my class supervisor who worked with me when he told me where to turn. The way for following has changed a bit since the last time I was here. Now instead of telling the dog to simply, "follow," the person who I'm following is supposed to walk ahead of me and tell me when we're about to make a right or left turn, so that I can direct Lenore accordingly. If you will be working on this with me, I'll let you know in more detail exactly how to do it! :) When we got back to campus we were given the go ahead from our instructors to work our dogs in the building. This means that we can now put our dogs in harness when we go out to relieve them, as well as when we go to dinner, and do other things in the campus building. This is wonderful, as it means that we don't have to juggle dogs and canes every time we want to get something done. After dinner, I cuddled with my girl for a long time on the beanbag chair. She climbed on top of me and got silly, but was able to quickly calm herself down and just fall asleep. I just love this little lady! She is a great worker and companion for me and my lifestyle. There's been this instant chemistry between us that I haven't experienced with any of my other guides. I loved Jimmy, but he never really liked cuddling as much as she does. He wasn't a huge one for just lying down and being petted after a hard day of work, and he didn't like being petted in harness after doing something good like she does. I think the cuddling and petting really help with our bond and also help us be able to read each other when we're working as a team, and I'm so glad I have a dog who loves being petted and thrives on it both at work and at play. I am very lucky to have her! Now, she's sacked out in bed and I'm heading that way as well. The training experience really takes it out of me, but in a good and productive way! I hope things are going well for everyone! Thanks for reading tonight's installment!

Training day two

Today marked day two of training here in Portland. We practiced the same routes as yesterday, worked in the mall, and also went inside a Starbucks to give Lenore a destination. She did great! She is very focused on her work and responds to commands beautifully. All her street crossings have been perfect, which is very important and a great relief. When we got back to campus we snuggled on the beanbag chair again, she loves this and it's a great place to be together because she's not supposed to be on beds or other furnature, so the beanbag is a wonderful and comfortable thing for us. That's been our favorate place during class so far. She is so cuddly and sweet; she'll just jump in your lap, put her head down, and go to sleep, it's so adorable! I am just falling more in love with her personality every day! She does get a little excitable, but seems easier to control than Jimmy was, we haven't had to take any crazy measures like I did last class just to gain basic control! After a wonderful turkey dinner, we were issued toys for our dogs. She loves her bone, but didn't seem super excited about playing tug tonight. I'm hoping I can warm her up to playing tug, though, because it's a great interactive game that we can easily play in our tiny apartment! :) I think, though, that our major bonding might be done through cuddling, which is great with me! I'm so pleased to have a girl who loves to get and give affection! We're both pretty tired right now, she's sacked out on her bed, and I'm in my chair relaxing before the final relieving and watering time of the evening! Not sure what's in store for tomorrow, I think we have more building work and as always I have great food and great classmates! I'm not blogging about anyone ele for privacy reasons, but I will say that this is a fun group of ladies, and I'll miss them when we all go home in a little under two weeks. That's about all from me! Hope everyone's doing well! Thanks for reading tonight's installment!

Training, day 1

So our first day of training in Portland was today. We did some basic routes, worked in a mall a bit so that Lenore would have a destination, and worked a lot with mechanics of turns, street crossings, etc. I loved the way she felt when we were walking together, she was fast, but not to fast for me. It was such a liberating feeling to have a dog by my side again. I'd forgotten how hard these past few months have been and how slowly I've been doing things with out a dog. Today, for the first time in a long, long time, I felt great about crossing streets, going around obsticles, and trusting my dog. She did a wonderful jub at the up curbs and also weaving around pedestrians, things on the sidewalks, and dog distractions. Tomorrow, I think we work on more of the same, and perhaps do some more complex routes. When we got back to campus, I groomed her and we cuddled on this beanbag chair that I have in my room. I think we were both tired from the day because we fell asleep together for an hour or so until someone knocked on my door to summon us to dinner. It was the cutest thing ever, and something that I think we both enjoyed! I found out from my class supervisor that Lenore was in class with another person for about a week a couple of classes ago, but the individual decided that the guide dog life style wasn't for him, and opted to return her. One of the instructors said that it was like they'd special ordered her for me, and so far, I'd have to agree. She is such a cute, affectionate, and lovable little dog, and I can't believe that anyone could decide that they didn't want her, though I'm glad that he did because she was here waiting for me. That's about all I have for tonight. Bed comes early for both of us, because we're up at about 6:30 or so and start with breakfast at 7. I hope you're all doing well, and thanks, as always for reading!

It's a girl!

Hi everyone! Well, it was Dog Day here in Oregon! I got a small female yellow lab named Lenore. She's 50 pounds, 22 inches tall, and was born on 2/24/2010. Strangely, she shares a birthday, though not the year, with Steve Jobs. When I pointed this out to one of my instructors who is as much of an Apple fanatic as I am, she said that the match was meant to be, and we had a good laugh. Seriously, though, she's beautiful. I'm told she's a red color, and that her eyes match her coat. Today we just did some basic obedience work, but tomorrow we head into Portland for some guide work in harness. I also chatted with my classmates, and ate great food, which is all part of the experience here. I don't really have much else to write tonight, but I'm pretty tired and have a busy day of training ahead of me tomorrow, so I'm heading to bed. I hope everyone's doing well, and thanks as always for reading!

I made it

This is just a quick update to let you all know that I made it safe and sound to Portland early this afternoon. It's cold and rainy here, but I guess that's to be expected of Oregon in the winter. The weather reminds me of a damp English day when you can't wait to come home and have a lovely hot cup of tea!
I met my classmates today. We are a group of 6 women, not a single man among us. So far, this is a great group, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun!
The only downside is that my iPhone isn't getting great reception here, because AT&T leaves some to be desired. I did bring my bose sound doc, though, so I'm able to enjoy music and my phone is streaming well. I'm listening to Pandora as I write this post on my iPad.
Email is proving to be the best way to reach me, as all of my various iThings work well with data and texts, so feel free to text me, too! :)
That's about all I've got. I should meet my dog tomorrow around lunchtime, and I'm so excited!
Thanks for following my adventures! I will keep you updated!

test post

I am testing to see whether I can only take my iPad and keyboard doc, as it will lighten up my bag considerably.
Tomorrow, I head out super early to catch an 8:00 AM flight to Chicago, and a 10:00 am flight from there to Portland.
I am not sure what the rest of Sunday consists of, but have been told that I'll get my dog on Monday afternoon around 2:00 PM PST. I will be sure to write and update everyone on how things go.
I am hoping to catch some sleep on the flight, because I'm sure I'll be pretty tired once I get there.
Hope everyone's doing well, and I'll update again tomorrow once I arive!

Dog number 4

Well, I'm back, and pleased to report that I will be heading to GDB's Oregon campus next Sunday, 1/29/2012, to train with my new guide.
After some thought, I decided to keep my training experiences together in one blog. The reasons I decided to do this were so I could quickly and easily look through and compare class experiences, and also so those who are new to the blog this time round could see both experiences side by side.
I am going to be in class for two weeks this time around, in a completely unfamiliar setting which I am excited and terrified about, depending on what moment you catch me in. I am certainly up for the challenge, and looking forward to the adventure. It will be strange being away from everyone and everything I know, last time, I was in San Rafael, so not far from people I know in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. I also had some familiarity with San Francisco, the airport, Bart, etc, so wasn't especially worried about training there. This time it's a different ballgame, I've never been to Portland, don't really know anyone there, or what to expect in terms of the training area or environment.
In many ways, I feel that this is a good thing, as it will let me truly bond with my dog with out the distraction of friends visiting, me wanting to catch up with people while I'm in the bay area, and me constantly comparing this to when I got Jimmy in the same place. This will really be a chance for me to start with a clean slate, in a different environment, and a different place, which I'm ready for. The uncertainty of the unknown is greater this time, but all in all, this is a good thing. I know that the school will take great care of me, and that they will give me a wonderful dog.
The class is also smaller this time, with six students and three instructors, which is good because the instructor student ratio allows for a more individualized training experience.
As I did last time, I'll try and update this every day with my training experience. Come with me on my journey to Oregon and enjoy!